WESTINGHOUSE SCALES A TALL ORDER IN JULIAN

No. 1-ranked Westinghouse and No. 7 Julian went at one another Tuesday like two teams with a lot more on their agenda than a victory in the Public League holiday tournament semifinals.

After 32 minutes of the most athletic and intense basketball of this early season, Westinghouse was taken to the limit in its 73-68 victory at the Pavilion. Westinghouse (6-0) advances to the 7:15 p.m. title game Wednesday against No. 4 Simeon (6-1), which held off Lincoln Park 49-44.

Julian (5-2) used its height with 6-foot-7-inch Demario Eddins, 6-8 James Peters, 6-7 Martese Williams and 6-7 Anton Palmer in passing the ball over Westinghouse's vaunted full-court press. Peters had a career night with 20 points in the first half and 25 for the game.

Once the Jaguars solved the press, they posted up Eddins (15 points, eight rebounds) on one side and had their other big guys crash the weak side for offensive rebounds. Westinghouse, which rebounds exceptionally well for a team without a starter taller than 6-3, had problems with Julian's strategy.

"Their size handled our press pretty well in the first half," said Westinghouse interim coach Quitman Dillard about his team's four-point deficit. "They had an excellent game plan getting the ball inside, and it worked."

Palmer hit a three-pointer early in the third quarter to give Julian a 46-40 lead when Westinghouse's Martell Bailey halted the Jaguar surge. The 5-10 point guard scored three straight baskets with drives down the lane and scored again at the conclusion of the quarter as the Warriors trailed 58-57.

"We weren't penetrating and passing the ball, just going one-on-one, so I started to penetrate," said Bailey, who finished with 16 points, six assists and five steals despite being hampered by a sore hip and back. "When the middle of the lane was open, I hit the little shots."

Bailey missed two free throws in the final 1:21, but teammate Craig Franklin covered for him with four free throws in the final minute to cap off a decisive 12-5 Westinghouse run.

"I had to step up and play big this game because Martell is hurt," said Franklin, who led the Warriors with 21 points. "I wasn't worried when Julian had the lead."

In some ways, a Julian ballclub that uses five underclassmen in its eight-man rotation came of age against the No. 3-ranked team in the nation.

"We gave a great effort for 29 minutes. With three minutes to go, we got a little in a hurry," said Julian coach Loren Jackson. "But we showed Westinghouse we're going to come at them. We've got to do a better job of taking care of the basketball and play with intensity for 32 minutes."

That's what Simeon will need to do to upset Westinghouse, along with a little help from the men in stripes.

Simeon's David White scored 21 points and Dwayne Williams added 14 to compensate for the subpar shooting of its best player, 6-7 Cameron Echols (three points).

Behind the outside shooting of Aaron Carr (17 points) and Armon Gates (13), Lincoln Park (4-3) stayed right with the Wolverines. Carr's three-pointer with 52 seconds left brought his team within 45-44. But two free throws by Kurtis Ellison and one each from White and Albert Hethington sent Simeon onto the title game.

"Cyrus isn't quite ready to beat me just yet," said Hambric about his former player and Lincoln Park coach Cyrus McGinnis. "I can see he stresses the same kinds of things that I do. He's just a lot younger and still has that fire inside him."

Hambric noticed that his point guard, Ellison, had some problems when Lincoln Park unleashed its press.